PRUDENCE GALEGA

Cameroon

“Even as a judge, it was difficult to get the judicial system to respond to this phenomenon. Collaboration and partnership are critical when you want to create shifts. You need to work as partners and you need to recognize the strengths of each other.”

Prudence Galega is a former judge who’s at the forefront of a movement to end human trafficking in Cameroon. She’s focused her efforts on the North West Province, where rates of child marriage, HIV/AIDS and human trafficking are among the highest in the country. Prudence helped write the law to prohibit child trafficking in Cameroon and now advocates for stronger protections and more comprehensive victim services.

As the president of Nkumu Fed-Fed, a network of women’s organizations that serve vulnerable populations, Prudence guides the group’s health, education and microfinance programs. She also partners with Vital Voices to train local law enforcement, judges and prosecutors on forming a coordinated community response to human trafficking.